Recommended Reading

Suicide: Survivors A guide for those left behind

By Adina Wrobleski

Suicide : Survivors: A Guide for Those Left Behind is the second book written by Adina Wrobleski. It reflects Author’s personal experience of suicide grief and recovery. She extends her hand to suicide survivors, and gives them guideposts, reassurance, information, comfort and hope.

No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One

By Carla Fine

Suicide would appear to be the last taboo. Even incest is now discussed freely in popular media, but the suicide of a loved one is still an act most people are unable to talk about–or even admit to their closest family or friends. This is just one of the many painful and paralyzing truths author Carla Fine discovered when her husband, a successful young physician, took his own life in December 1989. And being unable to speak openly and honestly about the cause of her pain made it all the more difficult for her to survive.

With No Time to Say Goodbye, she brings suicide survival from the darkness into light, speaking frankly about the overwhelming feelings of confusion, guilt, shame, anger, and loneliness that are shared by all survivors. Fine draws on her own experience and on conversations with many other survivors–as well as on the knowledge of counselors and mental health professionals. She offers a strong helping hand and invaluable guidance to the vast numbers of family and friends who are left behind by the more than thirty thousand people who commit suicide each year, struggling to make sense of an act that seems to them senseless, and to pick up the pieces of their own shattered lives. And, perhaps most important, for the first time in any book, she allows survivors to see that they are not alone in their feelings of grief and despair.

Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One

By Ann Smolin, C.S.W. and John Guinan

Too often people suffering the aftermath of a suicide suffer alone. As the survivor of a person who has ended his or her own life, you are left a painful legacy — and not one that you chose. Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will help you take the first steps toward healing. While each individual becomes a suicide survivor in his or her own way, there are predictable phases of pain that most survivors experience sooner or later, from the grief and depression of mourning to guilt, rage, and despair over what you have lost. Too often people suffering the aftermath of a suicide suffer alone. As the survivor of a person who has ended his or her own life, you are left a painful legacy — and not one that you chose. Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will help you take the first steps toward healing. While each individual becomes a suicide survivor in his or her own way, there are predictable phases of pain that most survivors experience sooner or later, from the grief and depression of mourning to guilt, rage, and despair over what you have lost.

You may be torturing yourself with repetitive questions such as “What if…?” “Why didn’t we…?” and “Why, why, why?” Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will steer you away from this all-too-common tendency to blame yourself and will put you on the path to healing and recovery. Remember, your wounds can heal and you can recover. Filled with case studies, excellent information, valuable advice, and a completely up-to-date reading list and directory of suicide support groups nationwide, this valuable book will give you the strength and hope to go on living.

Standing in the Shadow: Help and Encouragement for Suicide Survivors

By June Cerza Kolf

Grief counselor June Cerza Kolf is repeatedly asked for specific guidance in helping suicide survivors function and heal. Their grief is unique in that the trauma of suicide leaves them in such a devastated state that the typical coping mechanisms no longer work.

With deep sensitivity, Kolf leads readers through mourning to acceptance. She helps them realize the tragedy was out of their control, release their guilt and anger, and gain the power of prayer. Standing in the Shadow covers the heart of thirty-four topics, including depression, forgiveness, and the salvation of those who commit suicide. The gentle, honest writing provides answers, hope, and comfort for the bereaved.

Goodbye Jeanine: A Mother's Faith Journey After Her Daughter's Suicide

By Joyce Sackett

Fifteen years ago, Joyce Sackett opened her daughter’s bedroom door and saw the unthinkable: the girl had committed suicide. How does a mother-or anyone-cope with such a devastating loss? Is it really possible to sweep up the shattered pieces of a grieving heart and find healing again? Goodbye Jeanine is a faith journey–from the despair of a family member’s suicide back to hope and joy. This poignant and honest account reveals how Sackett learned to survive both physically and emotionally with the mixed emotions of loss, anger, guilt, fear, and shame–and how you can too. Despite tragic circumstances, God is near to the brokenhearted, bringing comfort and joy from grief and pain.

Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love

By David B. Biebel, DMin & Suzanne L. Foster, MA

Help and Hope for an Unexpected Journey Do real Christians commit suicide? Yes, they do. And for those left behind, the journey following such a tragedy is unbearably painful. Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love is a compassionate and practical guide that addresses the intensely personal issues of survivors of suicide (SOS). This gentle and faith-affirming resource helps survivors know what to expect, especially during the first year following a suicide. It includes personal stories of survivors and suggestions on how to move beyond survival to live life again. Designed for use by individuals, couples, and SOS groups, this book offers help for parents, siblings, friends, and extended families, as well as practical guidelines for pastors, Christian counselors, and other church leaders.

Topics include:

What to do in the immediate aftermath of a suicide

Handling guilt and understanding the role of depression in suicides

Dealing with questions of faith and meaning

Creating a support system

Choosing a Christian therapist

Trusted resources and websites

"With Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention through improving mental health support services and education in our schools and throughout our community."

Disclaimer: The diagnosis and treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders requires a trained medical professional. Information contained in this website reflects the opinions of With Hope Foundation, and is intended for educational purposes only. It should NOT be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment of any mental/psychiatric disorders. Please consult a medical professional if the information here leads you to believe you or someone you know may be depressed.